Enjoy, laugh, disagree or simply empathize with those who lived life in THE sixties and are now rockin' life in THEIR sixties, and beyond.

Trump’s playing to the lowest common denominator . . . the non-thinkers

Trump’s vision of a secure America is tragically retro. Has he learned nothing?

We’ve all been watching the bizarre reality side-show runup for presidential candidates in the United States and it’s getting scarier every day. I’ve resisted commenting on a political situation in which I have no say, but the results could have major implications for Canada. With the leading Republican candidate promoting building border walls (shades of East/West Berlin and the Iron Curtain), halting immigration (despite the fact two of his wives have been immigrants) demolishing free trade and reinstituting discrimination and racism, we have the potential for having a very nasty neighbour living next door to a polar-opposite Canada. Donald Trump is playing to the basest feelings of frustration and disappointment with the existing political system. His constituency is strongly composed of poorly educated, economically challenged voters who are looking for reassurance and need someone who will give them some kind of vision, regardless of how fascist it may be. Sound familiar? And his competitors’ platforms are equally insane.

Donald Trump and his brand of Republicanism has turned out to be Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders’ greatest asset. While Clinton and Sanders may not be everyone’s cup of tea, at least they seem to have a modicum of sanity on their side. Unfortunately, it’s the sane majority of voters who are not being heard. Once again, the tail’s wagging the dog. We can only hope.

As an average Canadian on the outside looking in, I’m nervous about the prospect of a Trump-led government being our nearest neighbour. With the possibility of Putin and his armies marching over the north pole into Canada and the Americans building walls to keep visible minorities, Mexicans and Canadians out, our borders are going to be squeezed in a vice between Communism and Fascism. And we know what that did to Poland and Czechoslovakia many years ago.

Bring ’em on . . . welcome to Canada on the bridge to real freedom!

The upside is that Canada can expect a mass exodus of “daft-dodgers” as intelligent Americans reject the Republican insanity and move to Canada. And we’ll be better off for it, just as the anti-war draft-dodgers of the sixties enriched our country over the long-term. Just leave your guns behind; we don’t get your crazy preoccupation with guns and killing each other. And we believe in taking care of our fellow human beings so you won’t have to mortgage your home to get a hip replacement.

In fact, I look forward to having Bill Maher or Jon Stewart living in my neighbourhood and broadcasting from Toronto or Vancouver. The brain drain will flow north for a change and enrich our businesses, educational institutions, professional services and fatten our already fat, solid Canadian banks. Canadians should rethink financing the entire cost of the bridge between Windsor and Detroit, affectionately known as “the bridge to nowhere” since Michigan refused to pay its share? Hell, we’d be happy to pay. The United States’ shame could be Canada’s gain.

As an early Baby Boomer, born in 1947, it seems to me that as we approach our retirement years, Boomers have gone from being the energy driving our nation to slowly becoming invisible. We risk losing our identity as society remains stubbornly youth-centric. And the irony is that Gen Xers and Ys are not the majority; we are. BOOMERBROADcast is my platform for being the voice of Baby Boomers, women in particular. We've generated a lot of changes over the decades but there's still a long way to go. After a 40-year career in the corporate world, I've taken up expressing the observations and concerns of our generation. Instead of pounding the pavement in my bellbottoms with a cardboard sign, I'm pounding my laptop (I learned to type on a manual typewriter and old habits die hard).
If you have issues or concerns you would like voiced or have comments on what I've voiced, I'd love to hear from you. We started breaking the rules in the sixties and now that we're in our sixties it's no time to become complacent. Hope you'll stay tuned and if you like BOOMERBROADcast, share it with your friends.
Let's rock n' roll!
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Lynda Davis

One thought on “Trump’s playing to the lowest common denominator . . . the non-thinkers”

Very well said, Lyn. With Trump in control, it won’t be long before businesses flock North to avoid some foolish moves on his part. We are in the midst of some very interesting times. Personally I feel that the silent majority will cast the most important votes and Hillary or Bernie will take over.